Your Lifestyle, Your Choice

Husbands’ behaviour improving?

or are women becoming more tolerant as fewer women sought a divorce in 2013.

Only 4% of wives wanted a divorce in the first 5 years of marriage, the lowest level since 1973 and only half the 1986 rate – the worst year for marriages that led to divorces.

Most divorces are initiated by women and although there were over 100,000 in 2013 that was 50,000 down from a peak of 165,000 in 1993. The Marriage Foundation commissioned the research from the ONS which showed the data for divorces initiated by men and women

The founder of the Marriage Foundation thinks that the decrease must be down to men living up to women’s expectations better. The danger period in marriages is between three and six years which tends to coincide with starting a family.

It seems men who get married now are more committed.

In the past men may have succumbed to social and peer pressure to “tie the knot” or “do the right thing” and not have bought fully into a long-term commitment, including a family. When the pressure increased on time and finances they started to show indifference to the relationship and behaving in a less committed way. Women were increasingly not prepared put up with that and this created conflict often leading to divorce.

Now many, although not all, men are prepared to share childcare and contribute to the domestic routine which leads to more marital satisfaction.